The Best Singles of 2009: Shakira - “She Wolf”

Shakira

If you were to propose a song by the Latin contortionist sensation Shakira produced by one of the guys from The Apples in Stereo (John Hill) and another guy from The Bravery (Sam Endicott), it would unequivocally sound like a disaster on paper. Yet, what we have is the closest vie yet for the long tail of the DFA on the pop charts. This is not to suggest pop validation by indie credibility, but rather just the opposite. Rubbery bass, ricocheting fricka-fricka guitars, and seductive vocoder (not, mind you, auto-tune) have never sounded so deliriously insatiable as they do in a format palatable for both hidebound radio and libertine clubland. Utterly ace.Timothy Gabriele